CaraPlease accept my sincere condolences concerning your loss. Things may have changes since my day but I don't think they will ahve changed that much.

I will assume that this is in England as there are different arrangements in other parts of the UK.

Where a death happens unexpectedly in England particularly out of a hospital environment or wher no GP has had recent involvement there will always be an inquest held to try and establish cause. The local Coroner's Office is the place to start making enquiries and you will find that easily on line or in the local Phone directory.

Your sister will be able to attend and if they were close friend she might even be asked offer testimony.

Post Mortems cannot always identify actual cause of death but can often point to likely cause.

I would also like to warn your sister that the process at this time of year is treacle slow.

My mum died the week before Christmas a few years ago, and although my mum had been ill for some time, she died quiet suddenly alone at home, so a post mortem was required. Due to the Christmas holiday, and the backlog of bodies, the post mortem wasn't carried out for almost a fortnight.

The PM found no cause for concern, so an inquest wasn't required and we were able to cremate the body just after New Year...

or near relatives of as deceased person regarding the date of an inquest. Other than them, only what are called other 'interested persons' have a right to attend an inquest, and those people are a parent, child, spouse, personal representative or partner of the deceased.

Interested persons may ask questions and make submissions on points of law, and of course a personal representative may be a lawyer.

Your sister should have no problem in attending the inquest, subject to the coroner's discretion, but she won't be allowed to take any part in the proceedings.